Beijing will not tolerate continued American intervention in Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said after a group of US defense officials visited the island for a show of support. The trip came just days after another US warship transited the Taiwan Strait, a move China has repeatedly slammed as \u201cprovocative.\u201d<\/p>\n
The US delegation was led by a number of current and former security officials \u2013 among them the hawkish Obama-era Pentagon staffer Michele Flournoy and ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mike Mullen \u2013 to show Washington\u2019s \u201ccontinued robust support for Taiwan,\u201d according to a US official cited<\/a> by Reuters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n After landing in Taipei on Tuesday, the group met with Taiwan\u2019s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and is set for longer talks with President Tsai Ing-wen the next day. Tsai earlier told<\/a> reporters the visit would demonstrate \u201cthe importance both of the Taiwan-US relationship,\u201d as well as America\u2019s vocal support for the island.<\/p>\n The Chinese government condemned the trip, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin insisting that any bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington violate US agreements to respect Beijing\u2019s \u2018One-China\u2019 policy, which stipulates that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory-proper.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attempt by the US to show support to Taiwan will be in vain, no matter who the US sends,\u201d Wang said at a Tuesday press briefing<\/a>, calling on the Joe Biden administration to \u201cstop all forms of official interactions with Taiwan \u2026 lest it should further undermine the larger interests of China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.\u201d<\/p>\n Just days before the US defense junket, an American guided-missile destroyer performed the Navy\u2019s second sail-through<\/a> in the contested Taiwan Strait this year, following near-monthly transits throughout 2021. While the Pentagon argues the \u201croutine\u201d missions are merely a way to ensure a \u201cfree and open Indo-Pacific,\u201d Beijing does not share that assessment, deeming the operations \u201cprovocative<\/a>\u201d time and again. <\/p>\n Last weekend\u2019s sail-through was no different, triggering a harsh rebuke from the Chinese government, which warned of serious consequences for continued US military action in what it considers to be its backyard.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the US tries to intimidate and pressure China in this way, then we have this stern warning: the so-called military deterrence will be reduced to scrap iron when facing the steely great wall of the 1.4 billion Chinese people,\u201d Wang said at the same Tuesday presser, adding that the US could \u201cpay a heavy price for its adventurist acts.\u201d<\/p>\n Since taking office, President Biden has mirrored many of his predecessor\u2019s more hostile actions toward Beijing, declaring<\/a> the country America\u2019s \u201cnumber one pacing challenge\u201d after a sweeping policy review<\/a> last year. Much like Donald Trump, the Biden administration has maintained a regular military presence<\/a> in the South and East China Seas, considers China a top priority<\/a> for its \u2018defense\u2019 budget, and continues to approve weapons sales<\/a> to Taiwan. The latest arms transfer<\/a> was greenlit earlier this month, including $100 million to \u201csustain, maintain, and improve\u201d US Patriot missile batteries on the island \u2013 part of at least $18 billion in military aid provided to Taiwan since 2017.<\/p>\n Some Biden officials, such as special ops chief Christopher Maier, have called for even more drastic action to support Taiwan\u2019s military, telling lawmakers<\/a> last year the administration should \u201cstrongly\u201d consider deploying American commandos to train up local guerillas to resist a Chinese invasion.<\/p>\n Despite appearances to the contrary, the United States maintains no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, severing relations in 1979 when it recognized Beijing\u2019s claim to the island. Nonetheless, official US policy<\/a> still calls to \u201cprovide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character\u201d and \u201cpromote extensive, close, and friendly commercial, cultural, and other relations.\u201d<\/p>\n